Colossae was an important city on the banks of the River Lycus about 100 miles east of the port of Ephesus. Three cities in the Lycus valley were mentioned in the book of Revelation and also in the Epistle to the Colossians. They were Colossae, Laodicea and Hierapolis. Laodicea was 12 miles west and Hierapolis was fifteen miles north west of Colossae. All three cities were on the main trade route between the province of Asia (presently Turkey) and the middle east, namely Persia or Iran. This highway was the great Persian Royal Road between Sardis (near Ephesus) and Susa the capital of Persia. Darius I, (Darius the Great) King of Persia, had it built to facilitate access to the western part of his kingdom. His kingdom extended to the west to include Asia Minor and parts of Macedonia (the eastern part of Greece). The Assyrians had built the road during their reign between Ninevah and Sardis for easy access to the western part of their empire. Darius the Great repaired and upgraded this highway. The Persians were noted for their ability to build roads and adapt to various conditions such as marsh, rocky surfaces and mountain environments. Bridges were built and log roads installed where the road ran through marshes. Darius ruled in the 5th century BCE, one source said the road was built about 500BC.

The importance of Colossae to this writer is its association with Biblical history. Two epistles or letters were written by the Apostle Paul about 60AD to 62AD while he was in prison. Paul wrote to the church in Colossae and he also wrote to a wealthy slave owner who was part of that church to address his run away slave that had found Paul in Rome and had become a believer in Christ. Paul’s letter to Philemon is addressed in another post. This post addresses the importance of Colossae and a little history of the city and the area.

Colossae was an ancient city when Paul wrote his epistles. It was noted in some Hittite literature with a slightly different name. Historians write that it began about 1350 BC and lasted until about 1200 AD. It was known in Paul’s day for it’s Dark Red Wool, called Colossian Wool.

Colossae, being on the great Persian Royal Road, was inhabited by a number of different ethnicities.

There were Jewish transplants in Colossae placed there by Antiochus III presumably to create stability in the area. They were given parcels of land tax free for ten years.

Even though this was a Gentile city it had Jewish influence. This contributed to some of the issues the church encountered later. Judaism crept into the church because of differing views. Paul taught salvation by grace but some Jewish believers taught salvation by adhering to the Mosaic law. Jewish people had been dispersed through out the Roman empire. Based on Paul’s epistles it seems that Judaism was a continual problem in most of the local churches,

Biblical Archaeology Review posted an article that discussed the products of the Lycus Valley. It was predominantly an area where black sheep were raised. Several products were produced besides the black wool of Laodicea and the dark red wool of Colossae. Lanolin was a much needed product used by wealthy Roman women. Because of its limited supply and large demand for these products the prices could be pretty high. Because of this industry both cities were wealthy cities.

Angarium

As an aside, Darius established a horse back courier system that could deliver messages to and from the west very quickly for that day. The road was 1677 miles from Susa to Sardis. Every 15 miles were outposts that had fresh horses to change to. Wikipedia reports that the outposts were a days ride apart. Messages were expected to be delivered in nine days. One source said 7 days. This courier system called, Angarium, was much like our Pony Express system in early U.S. history.

Horses that were bred for speed and endurance could run for about 60 miles. The Arabian horse can run about 35 to 40 miles per hour for up to 60miles. They can run efficiently for long distances because of their efficient metabolism. I suspect the distance between outposts were closer than a days ride and they probably changed horses at 15 or possibly 30 miles. In my research I was unable to determine what breed of horse was used by the Angarium.

It is interesting that the historian Herodotus wrote that messages could be delivered in lightening speed. He wrote that “Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds,” Sounds familiar doesn’t it. Our U.S. Postal System adopted this phrase as their motto.

During Roman rule the Persian Royal Road was repaired and used by the Romans to access their holdings in Persia and Pakistan. This highway was a well used trade route between the Middle East to Asia Minor. Part of the Persian Royal Road included the Silk Road from Ninevah into China. Romans used a system similar to the Angarium over their highways during the Roman Empire. The Romans called their courier service Cursus Publicus. Cursus Publicus had a fast service which used saddle horses or pack horses and a regular service which used oxen and wagons.

The Romans had a paving technique for their highways that included curbs. Many highways were built or upgraded by the Romans for delivering messages and for collecting taxes.

In the USA, President Dwight D. Eisenhower was instrumental in building the interstate highway system here. Being a retired general, he knew the importance of good highways in protecting and controlling a nation.